Adjustable cowling for fans or the like



6, i951 M, B, CURLEY ADJUSTABLE COWLING FOR FANS OR THE LIKE Filed July 7 1949 A 2 Sheets-Sheet l [l 4 o N l I L l w /A/VENTOQ;

MOQTON B. CURLEY, BY

March 6, 1951 M, B CURLEY 2,544,490

ADJUSTABLE COWLING FOR FANS OR THE LIKE Filed July 7, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L l/ MN TOE MORTON B. CuraLEY,

Patented Mar. 6, 1951 ADJUSTABLE COWLING FOR FANS I 0R THE LIKE Morton B. Curley, Worthington, Ohio, assignor to The Jerey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application July 7, 1949, Serial No. 103,377

Claims. (Cl. 230-120) This invention relates to a fan, and an object of the invention is to provide mechanism for attaching and detaching the Cowling of a fan to provide for access to the interior thereof while making it easy for the Cowling to be clamped into its normal operating position.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a fan, partially in elevation and partially in section, incorporating the features of my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a View on a larger scaleshowing details of the fan Cowling seen in Fig. 1.

Heretofore it has been the practice in attaching a Cowling in a fan of at least one design to have an elongated bolt extending through the trailing edge of the Cowling and into a nut or threaded opening located in the interior thereof. essarily when the operation of Clamping the Cowling in place was effected the operator had the diicult job of guiding the bolt to the nut or threaded opening which he could not see.

This has been a very difficult job to perform- Necdrawings is shown in complete detail in my Patent No 2,191,341, dated February 20, 1940, for a ventilator and it includes the usual main outer Casing I 0 and an inner Cowling I I, the fan blades not being shown but obviously being located in the constricted portion of the main casing I0. The discharge portion I 2 of the Cowling II is generally in the form of a cone. At its bottom the cone or Cowling I2 is pivotally attached by bolt and bracket means I3 to the rigidly mounted center portion of the Cowling I I so that said cone I2 is free to swing downward on a transverse horizontal axis..

Clamping means to clamp the discharge or 2 which is pivotally attached at its left-hand end, as viewed in the drawing, to a portion of the Cowling frame. The guide I6, nut -I'I and yoke I8 are all rigidly connected together to form in effect a single continuous pivoted arm.

As illustrated in the drawing, the casing I0 and Cowling II provide the usual space through which air is forced by the fan. The discharge or cone portion I2 of the Cowling II is free to swing downward about the pivot means I3 to permit access to the'interior of said Cowling. This swinging movement is limited by the casing Ill, as indicated by the dotted line position of the discharge Cowling I2. This, of course, is permitted by unscrewing the elongated bolt I4 from the nut I1. However, in any position which the Cowling I2 may assume, the elongated bolt I4 is still within the tubular guide IB, as a Consewords, swinging of the Cowling cone I 2 back into position inherently guides the threaded end of ,the elongated bolt I4 to the nut Il and by rotating the nut II by a tool operating on its hexagonal head the Cone Cowling I2 may be rigidly clamped in position through the intermediary of the yoke I8 and nut I'I.l

Should it be desirable to remove the cone Cowling I2 entirely, this can be readily done by removing the bolt of the pivot bolt and bracket connection I3 after the cone is swung to the dotted line position illustrated in the drawing. To reassemble the parts it would only be necessary first to extend the elongated bolt I4 into the tubular guide. I 6 and then re-connect the bolt and bracket pivotal connection I3. Thereafter, the cone Cowling I2 could be swung upward and the bolt III tightened to clamp it in position.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention'as defined by the claims hereto appended, and applicant therefore wishes not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of the invention, what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A fan construction including an outer casing and an inner Cowling providing a space through which air is forced, said inner Cowling including a rigidly mounted Center portion and Ya generally conical discharge portion, means pivotally attaching said discharge portion to said center portion for swinging movement with respect thereto, means for securing said discharge portion to said center portion including an arm means having a nut portion and a hollow guide portion leading to said nut portion, an elongated bolt extending through the peak of said discharge portion and into said hollow guide portion of said arm means, washer means carried by said bolt means limiting endwise movement of said bolt in said discharge portion, and pivot means mounting said arm means to said center portion .and spaced' from said discharge portion mounting pivot means, said outer casing being positioned to be struck by said discharge portion `as the latter swings to maintain said bolt in said hollow guide portion.

2. A fan construction including anouter casing and an inner cowling providing a space through which air is forced, saidinner cowling including a rigidly mounted center portion and a generally conical discharge portion, means pivotally at.- taching said discharge portion to said center portion for swinging movement with respect thereto, means for securing said discharge portion to said center portion including an larm means having a nut portion and a hollow guide portion leading to said nut portion, an elongated 'bolt extending through the peak of said discharge portion and into said hollow guide portion of said arm means, means limiting endwise movement of said bolt in said discharge portion, and pivot means mounting vsaid arm means to said `center portion and spaced from said discharge portion mounting pivot means, said outer casing being positioned to be struck by said discharge portion as 'the latter swings to maintain said bolt in said hollow vguide portion.

3. A fan cowling including a rigidly mounted center portion and a generally -conical discharge 4 wise movement of said bolt in said discharge portion, and pivot means mounting said arm means to said center portion and spaced from said discharge portion mounting pivot means.

4. A fan cowling including a rigidly mounted center portion and a generally conical discharge portion, means pivotally attaching said discharge portion to said center portion for swinging movement with respect thereto, means for securing said discharge portion to said center portion including an arm means having a nut portion and a hollow guide portion leading to said nut portion, an elongated bolt extending through the peak of said ldischarge portion and into said hollow guide portion .01 said arm means, and pivot means mounting said arm means to said center portion and .spaced .from said discharge portion mounting pivot means.

5. A fan Cowling including a xed portion and a generally conical discharge portion, means pivotally mounting said discharge portion for swinging movement with respect to said fixed portion, means Afor clamping said discharge portion to said fixed portion including an arm means having a nut portion and a guide portion leading to said nut portion, an elongated bolt extending through the peak of said discharge portion and into the guide portion of -said arm means, and pivot means mounting said arm means for swinging movement about an axis spaced from said discharge portion mounting pivot means whereby said discharge portion may be swung with respect to said xed portion while said bolt remains in the guide portion of the arm means.

MORTON B. CURLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the `file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,873,336 Schmidt Aug. 23, 1932 2,191,341 Curley Feb. 20, 1940 2,294,586 Troller Sept. 1, 1942 -2,323,456 Curley et al July 6, 1943 2,414,366 Elze et al Jan. 14, 1947 

